


Tourney

by LetoaSai



Series: Secrets [5]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cheating, Cloud isn't a fool, Father-Son Relationship, Fixed tournaments, Game time line, Proud Papa, Sequel, Trying to be canon but it's not, colosseum, worried papa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24123037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetoaSai/pseuds/LetoaSai
Summary: Cloud had been fighting in the Colosseum for a while now. It should have been easy, but nearly having a heart attack is to be expected when he finds out his next opponent is his son.
Relationships: Cloud/Leon (Kingdom Hearts), Leon (Kingdom Hearts)/Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife
Series: Secrets [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593604
Comments: 43
Kudos: 150





	Tourney

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: i do not own Kingdom Hearts
> 
> Sequel to Secrets Kept. 
> 
> A lot of people requested this one, hope you enjoy it. ^__^ I tried to keep it as close to the original as i could but some changes had to be made for story line purposes.

The Colosseum… It was a novel concept. One Cloud didn’t mind. Fight in a regulated competition and gain money and information in the process. Sounded perfect. Any information on Squall was worth the trouble. This was even one of few places he’d found that seemed to be aware of other worlds but then they considered the world their gods were from different so it was normal? 

He’d found it two years prior and spent two or three weeks hanging around, gaining money and information before returning to his search for another week or two before returning home. It was only a few weeks but he didn’t want to leave Sora alone for too long. 

This might have been a scouting mission but it came second to Sora, no matter how much he wished he could be in two places at once. 

This time was a little different than before. Not only had some god pegged him as an easy target, but the tournament was filled with little creatures made of darkness. He could see it wafting off them. They wobbled like puppets and it all wasn’t terribly hard to figure out. The ‘who’ and ‘where’ were easy enough but the ‘why’ eluded him. There didn’t seem to be some kind plot that he could see, at least nothing that being in the tournament would accomplish. It was a strange thing. 

Hades, god of the underworld, thought he could pull Cloud’s strings. What a damn fool. Thought he was there to kill Hercules for information. Cloud was willing to do a lot, killing among them but not someone with such a light, harmless to those innocent. 

He’d save his wrath for those that deserved it. Still, maybe Hercules was why those things were hanging around? Whatever. Didn’t involve him even if he was pretending it did. Hades was a moron but he had knowledge of outside worlds. If he could give him any clues on Squall and Ventus, he’d take it. 

He stayed on the sidelines, not really caring who was fighting. The end match would no doubt end up being him and Hercules anyway. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to do about that just yet but he certainly wasn’t going to kill him just to make Hades jolly. 

It was cheers from the crowd that got his attention first. A strange sort of excitement that was different from the other fights. Curiosity wasn’t usually his downfall but today it was. He headed towards the tunnels that led out to the ring and stopped dead in his tracks. 

Sora. 

_What in all the fucking worlds…_

Surrounded by dark creatures in the ring. Cloud's heart was trying to beat right out of his chest but Sora raised a weapon, a key shaped sword that fit just right in his grasp. He fought those creatures like he’d done it before. He flung magic too, the spells weak but effective. 

Cloud was shaking. Nothing but the magic that surrounded the ring for active matches kept him from jumping into it. 

He could probably break those if he needed to. 

Sora was fighting in the tournament. He was fighting and winning and this was so far from his practice matches with Riku. _How_ did Sora even get here!? What did he think he was doing!? He had to get Sora out of this tournament… 

Cloud watched from the doorway as Sora won, he jumped up and down in sheer delight with the...dog and duck?... Right… 

He felt the wisps of darkness creep up behind him but they were nothing like Sephiroth. God of the Underworld he might be but Cloud wasn’t impressed. He came up to Cloud's side and gestured to the ring with a certain amount of amusement. 

“That little punk is your next opponent, okay? Now don’t blow it, just take him out.” He spoke about it as if fighting a child in a tournament wasn’t utterly distasteful. Olympus would be down one god if they thought he was going to do this.

“The great god of the underworld is afraid of a kid? Sorry but my contract says-” 

“I know! You think i don’t know? I wrote the contract.” He had the nerve to get hostile. “I know it says you’re only required to kill Hercules in this tournament, but you gotta fight that kid to get to him. Come on.” 

Cloud said nothing, just looked out at the ring where the Duck was casting a healing spell. 

Hades didn’t seem to care about his reluctance. “Hey it’s like that old goat says: It’s all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it. I mean a casualty or two along the way is no big deal right?”

_Casualty?_ His son was not a casualty. He needed Sora out of this tournament before Hades did something stupid. More stupid. 

He needed to alter his plans and get away from Hades. If it meant losing the information he wanted, so be it. Sora had to come first. Squall would understand... Standing, Cloud walked away, deciding to find a better seat to watch the next fight from. Sora’s team mates were...unusual but he’d seen weirder. The dog seemed to be guarding Sora’s back and the duck seemed to be passing out spells and cures, though sparingly…

He humored the idea that maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him. It could have been some ruse by Hades to pull his strings but no, that was Sora. He’d stake his life on that one. That was his baby. 

He watched the match, his jaw clenching painfully the entire time. His baby was going head to head with these stupidly little...darkness.. Gremlins! UGh, whatever they were. When Sora used a lightning spell Cloud couldn’t help but be impressed. Those were tricky but effective when used correctly and it won Sora the match. 

Cloud was already aware something was wildly wrong. Sora _being_ there was the first indication that something was out of sorts. 

Hades making a point to tell him to ‘take him out’ was another suspicious development. What did Hades know that he didn’t? Another odd factor were the matches themselves. There were usually more breaks between each match but instead Sora seemed to be fighting his one after another. Even the Corneo Colosseum had allowed for breaks between matches.

All of this led to Sora being a target, but why? 

Oh no, this would not do. This had to be stopped. 

It was his turn next, and as he suspected, there was no time for Sora to rest between matches. Cloud stepped into the ring and watched Sora’s eyes light up, watched his smile grow. 

Gods, no one had ever been so happy to see him. 

Cloud frowned and shook his head, summing his fusion sword, bound with fabric as a safety precaution. He could have easily destroyed the Colosseum if he didn’t keep his strength in check and he would never put Sora in danger. 

That also meant making sure that Hades did not find out Sora was his son. 

Sora summoned his key weapon, gripping it nervously when he realized Cloud intended to fight him. The fight began and Cloud observed in fascination. He’d been teaching Sora the basics for years now but it was incredible to see how his style changed with the key in his hand. His posture was terrible but other than that, his technique wasn’t bad. He could also tell how powerful the weapon was. He could smell it drenched in light every bit as much as he could smell darkness. 

Light suited Sora. 

“That the best you can do?” Cloud taunted and hid a smile when he watched his son pout. 

They danced around the ring and Cloud dodged the attacks of all three of them. Honestly, a dog and a duck, what was that even about? They were decent but…

Sora was also holding back. He could fight darkness with reckless abandon but he held back with Cloud. It was adorable. 

“You can do better.” Cloud muttered, dodging a spell the duck threw before sweeping Sora’s legs out from under him. It just had Sora working harder. He jumped back to his feet, ready to continue. 

Cloud treated it like one more training session. Slash, slash, weave, duck. …dog. He could feel Hades watching him, but if he thought Cloud was going to bow to his whims, he was mistaken. 

He knocked Sora back, the boy landing with a thud and a groan. Cloud’s fusion sword was raised over his head and Cloud could practically hear the crowd gasp. 

Sora looked up, trusting and put out that he’d gotten knocked down so fast. 

“Well done, Sora.” Cloud whispered, lowering his sword. 

Sora’s smile grew, staring up at Cloud before his eyes grew wide…”Dog.”... 

Cloud whipped around just as the three headed beast appeared creashing throw a doorway. Hades guard dog Cerberus...Well, fuck. Cloud grabbed Sora, the crowd fleeing in a panic. 

“Papa.” Sora clung to his arm. 

“Go.” Cloud commanded, feeling a deep clawing at his skin. It was scorching and painful. Hades fucking contract… 

“But-” 

“Go!” 

They were both knocked back by the force of Cerberus and Sora tumbled, getting caught by his dog friend while Cloud got slammed back against the Colosseum wall. 

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? A soft heart?” Hades appeared. “I told you to get rid of the kid.” 

Cloud reached up, the urge to rub at his own throat was strong. Whatever hold Hades’ contract had on him was painful, but not as painful as other things he’d been through. 

“Not in my contract. I don’t kill kids.” 

“Oh, well you see, there’s a problem with that.” The fire of Hades’ hair sparked red. “I own you. You do what you are told!” 

Cloud scoffed, looking past Hades to see Sora and his little team fighting the hell dog. He’d destroy the underworld if Sora was harmed… 

“Not how it works.” Cloud swallowed, skin burning from whatever Hades was doing to him. “Contact says i fight Hercules for information on the void. Kid has nothing to do with it.” Cloud said. 

Hades’ fury was growing if his coloring had anything to do with it. “And i own you until it’s done! This contact is rock solid, blondie! Solid until a death cancels it! Now you’re gonna get back in that ring. You’re gonna kill that kid and then you’re gonna kill wonderboy, capiche!?” 

Cloud frowned, brow raised at Hades. “Any death?” 

“Woah now,” Hades backpedaled immediately, not liking the look in Cloud’s eyes. “Don’t go taking any kind of stupid risks. Those won’t pan out for you.” 

“You don’t think so?” Cloud stared back. He should have felt something. Fear? Danger? He should have been afraid of his situation but all he felt was apathy at best. Hades didn’t scare him. It’s not like he was Sephiroth. 

“Oh i _know_ so blondie. I’m the god of the underworld, and i’ll get what i want.” Hades growled, doing his best to intimidate but Cloud wasn’t a normal man. 

“And?” 

“And?” Hades repeated, insulted. “What do you mean ‘and?’” 

Cloud was unimpressed. “You are a god of the dead here, but that does not make you a ruler of darkness.” Cloud said, his own magic slipping free. Darkness he’d long since acquired snapped to life, already bearing down on Hades with intent. 

Hades looked worried, not used to not being the biggest and baddest on this side of a battle with light and dark. “The contract makes you mine, Blondie. And i always collect.” 

Cloud felt like his skin was being burned deep into his bones. His soul he supposed. 

“It also says a death can end it.” Cloud said, “Besides, the Lifestream probably isn’t very happy about someone else trying to steal my soul.” 

“The what?” Hades hissed, backing up several paces when the darkness around Cloud spread out and grew. An opening appeared, filled with strands of green lights. It didn't feel right... The Lifestream was mourning and it was more then just Cloud's situation causing it's grief.

“Do you actually know anything about the void?” 

Hades stared, panicking internally and nearly hypnotised by the green lights. “There are many voids, Blondie. You’re going to have to be more specific.” 

Cloud deflated. He didn’t know… All this time wasted. 

“Then you’re of no use to me.” Cloud said, eyes shooting up when Cerberus howled in pain. Was Sora winning!? Please just be alright.

“ _I'm_ no use to _you_?” Hades was back to being insulted and infuriated. He held his hand out, the scroll appearing. The contract. Information for Cloud’s win over Hercules. “I don’t care how you think you’re going to get out of this. It ain’t happe-” 

The paper was slashed in half, making it disappear in a puff. 

“Contract interrupted.” Zack’s ghostly form snickered, buster sword over his shoulder. 

“Oh, thank you Zack.” Cloud said, smiling faintly. “I needed someone dead to break that for me.” 

Hades jaw dropped, it was obviously a loop hole he’d never encountered before. “You...you!” He whirled around as Cerberus fell. “That kid!” In a fit of fiery rage, he disappeared, back to whatever hole he came from.

The relief that Cloud felt seeing Sora jumping around, giddy over his success left him exhausted. 

“Really Cloud?” Zack mocked. “You’re soul?” 

“It wasn’t about my soul.” Cloud muttered. “It was about information.” 

Zack looked sympathetic. He knew how hard Cloud had been looking for the rest of his family. “Well, that kid of yours is in good shape.” He smiled. “You’ve done good with him.” 

Cloud smiled weakly. “Except i have no idea why he’s here or how he even got here. What's wrong with the lifesteam?” 

Zack chuckled and shifted back into the lifestream that clung partly to Cloud. “Sora will tell you. So go find out. Don’t freak out.” 

The portal closed behind him and he was a little more exhausted because of it. Dragging the lifestream out of his darkness always did leave him tired. 

“Thanks Zack…” Cloud repeated, heading back to the arena in search of his son. Cerberus had been defeated and there was a certain amount of pride that swelled in Cloud’s chest. He hadn’t wanted Sora to fight just because he did… He wanted Sora to be able to defend himself against any threat.

He was growing up…. And taking down giant hellhounds… 

Cloud stayed back in the shadows, smiling faintly when Sora got his ‘Junior Hero’ license. Who ever heard of such a thing…? How stupid, but Sora’s smile was huge. It was worth it. 

He moved then, not wanting to interrupt the moment and sat on the stairs by the entrance, waiting for Sora to find him. It would only be a matter of minutes and sitting by the door ensured Sora couldn’t slip past him.

“Hey!” Sora ran up to him, the dog and duck following closely behind him. Seriously, what was up with them…

“Hey.” Cloud greeted and the two of them shared a long look that had Sora smiling sheepishly. Sora was supposed to be home, spending the summer with Riku and his family. Hana really wouldn’t notice one more kid in her house and the two of them spent most of the day out playing anyway. 

“I’ll meet you guys back at the ship.” Sora mumbled, making Cloud’s hackles rise even as the dog and duck made sure to ask if Sora would be okay left alone with Cloud. What ship? What…? 

When they’d finally gone Sora looked at Cloud, face finally collapsing as fear took over. “Papa…”

Cloud grabbed him as easily at fourteen as he did at four. He snuck them through his own portals to find a place where they could speak privately.

The upside of all the monsters in the tournament meant there were more empty spaces in the ‘locker rooms’ of the colosseum than usual. 

“How did you get here? What happened?” 

“Destiny Island’s is gone.” Sora hiccupped, leaning against him and clinging tightly. He told Cloud everything he knew. The Heartless. The Keyblade. How something was not right with Riku. How scary it had been waking up alone in Traverse Town, but he’d met nice people there. No wonder the lifestream was so stressed out. It was connected to Destiny Island now and if it was gone...it would be holding onto Cloud even tighter than usual. 

Sora had calmed throughout telling his story, but he clung to Cloud anyway. 

“So…” Cloud swallowed. “This keyblade chose you.” 

“Looks like it.” Sora mumbled, waiting a beat. “I want to find Riku and Kairi, and Donald and Goofy are looking for their king.” 

“I see…” 

“I’ve already been to Traverse Town and Wonderland and…” Sora swallowed. “I’m locking worlds as i go and…” 

Fate. Fate was sending good people to do an impossible job. It was particularly cruel to send a child to do such a job. What could Cloud do? There was no Destiny Island to return to. Should he keep Sora with him for now or-

“Papa.” Sora gripped his arm. “I want to keep looking for Riku and Kairi. I want to go with Donald and Goofy to more worlds. To search.” 

Did Cloud do this? Had he instilled some need in Sora to search for those missing? Was that good or bad? What else should he expect Sora to do in a time like this. 

“Are you asking my permission or informing me of your decision?” 

Sora’s mouth tightened. “I...I’ve made it this far by myself. Well, with Donald and Goofy. I can do this papa, i can. Maybe i’m not ready now but i never will be if i don’t start.”

Lifestream help him. He was putting his baby’s safety in the hands of a Dog and a Duck. 

“And?” Cloud coaxed. 

He inhaled. “And i’m going with them but i really, really want you to tell me i can.” 

Cloud dragged Sora closer, pressing a kiss to Sora’s hair line. What was he doing at fourteen? What was Squall doing at fourteen? 

“Look to the light, Sora. Like you always have. Is this your path?” 

Sora nodded without hesitation. 

“Then make smart choices. Stay safe and find your friends.” Cloud said softly, catching Sora as he jumped into his arms. 

“Will you be here? I can come see you back here?” 

“Yeah, for now at least. I’ll leave word with the satyr if i leave.” Cloud promised, slipping potions into Sora inventory along with a quick ‘how to’ on using the Sonic Blade. Sora had seen him use it often enough that he should pick up on it quickly. 

“Kay.” Sora mumbled, squeezing Cloud tight. He kept cheek pressed to Cloud's shoulder and this was a goodbye that felt far too heavy. It wasn’t like Cloud going away for a few weeks while Sora stayed safe with Riku’s family. 

This was different. They didn’t know what was going to happen now. 

“If you need me…” Cloud let the offer hang.

“I know.” Sora nodded, wanting every extra second with Cloud he could get. When he did finally pull away he smiled instead of shedding more tears. Kid really was growing up. 

Cloud watched him run off to the gummi ship, a bounce in his step. He’d gotten a taste of the adventure he and Riku had been dreaming of for years. “Zack… Look after him if you can.”

**Author's Note:**

> Series Order 
> 
> Gifts  
> A Home that Heals  
> Tourney  
>  **Secrets Kept**  
>  Misfits


End file.
